Grazing rights in communal areas of a post-independent Namibia: a case study of a grazing dispute in western Kavango region

Magister Philosophiae (Land and Agrarian Studies) - MPhil(LAS)This dissertation aims at understanding the legal implications of a grazing dispute that was reported in the western Kavango Region a few years after Namibia’s Independence in 1990. This dispute which was between Ovawambo cattle owners and herders from the Ohangwena and Oshikoto regions and the local Vakwangali community members (represented by the UKTA) was reported in 1992 (other reports suggest that it might even have originated as early as the 1960s and 1980s), when it was said that the Ovawambo cattle owners and herders with their hundreds of cattle had entered into western Kavango “illegally” in search of grazing. The Ovawambo cattle owners and herders were first charged in 2005 and were eventually evicted in 2009. This dissertation looks at how legislation was used to deal with the conflict and investigates the impacts of the court order on all parties involved. The methodology employed during this study was predominantly qualitative, mainly utilising individual interviews and focus group discussions with the participants. This study found that the Government of Namibia had delayed acting on the grazing dispute for mainly political reasons. The study also found that many herders had indeed entered western Kavango Region illegally because they could not provide any letters of consent from the Ukwangali Traditional Authority (UKTA); many herders also admitted that there were no written agreements between themselves and the UKTA. The research also found that although the eviction orders were issued to all the herders, some still remained in the area; this selective application of the law rendered the eviction order somewhat ineffective. The study found that some local or affected community members were satisfied with the consequences of the eviction order and reported positive results regarding their farming activities such as better grazing and improved yields in their crop fields. Other community members, however, were disappointed by the refusal of certain herders to vacate the area, as well as by the failure of the government to ensure that all the herders had left the area

Land grabbing from within: Learning from grazing disputes in Western Kavango, Namibia.

In recent years Namibia has received a number of proposals from multinational agricultural corporations to develop large-scale irrigation projects, mainly in the country’s water-rich, north-eastern regions (Odendaal 2011). However, only a few of these proposed large-scale projects have materialised (Sulle, Thiem and Muduva 2014), and other more localised forms of competition over land and its natural resources are having a significant impact on affected communities (Muduva 2014: 1)

Understanding land acquisitions in Namibia’s communal land: Impacts and policy implications

Large-scale land acquisitions by both foreign and local investors for agriculture, forestry and wildlife purposes, among others, remain a major challenge for African governments. Between 2000 and 2011, the Namibian government, through various ministries, received proposals from multinational agribusinesses to develop large-scale agricultural irrigation projects (Odendaal, 2011). While only a few of these proposed large-scale projects have materialised, the magnitude of their impacts on rural communities are significant and require urgent measures. This policy brief investigates these acquisitions in Namibia’s communal land. The purpose is to determine the impacts of such deals on communities, whether legal requirements were met before acquiring land for such deals, and whether community members can protect their land rights or oppose such deals. It identifies all the role players and captures the experiences and perceptions of affected and concerned community members towards such undertakings

Commercialisation of land in Namibia’s communal land areas: A critical look at potential irrigation projects in Kavango East and Zambezi regions

Large-scale land acquisitions by both foreign and local investors for agriculture, forestry and wildlife purposes, among others, remain a major challenge for African governments. In recent years, the Namibian government through various ministries received proposals from multinational agribusiness to develop large-scale agricultural irrigation projects. However, only a few of these proposed largescale projects have materialised or have been operationalised. This study is aimed at investigating land acquisitions by private and/ or foreign investors (large-scale agricultural investors) in Namibia’s communal land areas. The purpose of the study is, among others, to ascertain the socio-economic impacts of such deals on communities, whether legal requirements are adhered to before land for such deals is acquired or allocated, and whether community members can protect or defend their land rights or successfully oppose such deals if such is not in their interest

Large-scale land deals in Southern Africa: voices of the people

This book presents case studies of large-scale land deals in Southern Africa. It aims to provide an accessible and vivid window into the lived realities and responses of rural people who are affected by such deals. For this reason, it pays particular attention to what local people say, and has quoted their experiences and responses to the land deals. The book emerges from an action research project implemented by the Institute for Poverty, Land and Agrarian Studies (PLAAS) at the University of the Western Cape, South Africa, in partnership with non-governmental organisations in five Southern African countries: LandNet in Malawi, Kuwuka Juventude Desenvolvimento e Advocacia Ambiental in Mozambique, Legal Assistance Centre in Namibia, Zambia Land Alliance in Zambia and Ruzivo Trust in Zimbabwe. The joint project, entitled Commercialisation of Land and ‘Land Grabbing’ in Southern Africa: Implications for Land Rights and Livelihoods in Southern Africa, involved not only documenting what was happening on the ground but also action research, together with the communities, in negotiations, lobbying and meetings with investors and with government institutions